snowpack

Highs run 10° above normal today and Friday before a weekend storm brings widespread rain, cooler temps, and mountain snow.

This past water year was dry, with not all of the snowpack making it into the basin's rivers and streams. Forecasters will be looking out for conditions driven by climate change and prolonged drought as they consider what Water Year 2026 will bring.

University of Montana Climate Office launches regional project to strengthen drought resilience while the Four Corners shifts its focus to snowpack

A quick-moving trough brings breezy winds and isolated mountain showers today, with sunshine midweek and cooler, wetter weather returning this weekend.

Water experts gathered at the University of Colorado, Boulder for talks about the future of the Colorado River. Top policymakers were notably absent.

Unusually fast snowmelt is triggering drought conditions and early fire risks across the West, with runoff declining and water forecasts revised downward for key river basins.

Hydrologists say that hotter temperatures have been drying out soils and vegetation in the west, leading to less water flowing to rivers and streams when snow melts.

Seasonal forecasts point to a warm and dry spring. It’s not good news for a region that saw record heat and dry conditions last autumn.

The Four Corners saw a little more moisture than usual falling from the sky last month. But the area remains in moderate drought. There’s hopeful news, though. Snow has fallen in the mountains for the past few days, with at least a foot reportedly dropping on Wolf Creek Pass, Red Mountain Pass, and Coal Bank Pass in southwestern Colorado.

The beginning of the 2023 water year is off to a good start, reservoirs in the southwest will see some filling but may still be below average this year, calving season has been rough due to cold and wet spring weather, farm bankruptcies are going down, and census data show that the nation’s rural population grew slightly last year.